The invention relates to a method and a system to monitor the access rights for a personnel transport system that include at least one defined embarkation area and at least one defined disembarkation area. The personnel transport system can be used in recreation facilities, particularly ski lifts and cable cars which operate cyclically with prescribed regular distances between them.
It is known from prior art to conduct access monitoring before entry into the personnel transport system for recreation facilities that includes at least one defined embarkation area and at least one defined disembarkation area. Access-monitoring devices are provided before the embarkation area that include equipment to recognize and evaluate access rights along with mechanical or other gates, perhaps in the shape of a turnstiles or so-called flap gates whereby the mechanical gates are manually or automatically released after presentation of a valid access rights.
Disadvantageously, the gate and the resultant blockage of access are very inconvenient. Particularly, the presence of the gate may be found to be unpleasant for children or the elderly. Also, the access monitoring connected with the gate causes stress, which significantly detracts from a recreation experience. With cyclically operated transport systems such as ski lifts and cable cars, this often has the result that the transport system is not utilized to capacity, increasing waiting time and reducing revenue.
Furthermore, the access monitoring mentioned at the outset is also inefficient and costly for the operator of this type of personnel transport system since as a rule the vast majority of users of the personnel transport system are in possession of valid access rights. Since all users of the personnel transport system are monitored in order to detect a typically very small number of non-paying riders, such detection is associated with high expense.